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Cattle Breeders and Breed Pioneers

Qi Xinglei and the Breeding of Xia Nan Cattle in Biyang, Henan

A county livestock technician who spent three decades turning a draft breed into a national beef breed.

Who is Qi Xinglei?

Qi Xinglei is a livestock technician from Biyang County in Henan Province who led the project that created Xia Nan cattle (夏南牛), described by Chinese state media as China's first beef breed with independent intellectual property rights. The Guangming Daily account republished on the Party-building portal profile of Qi Xinglei names him in the article as 祁兴磊, and Henan Agricultural University professor Gao Tengyun called him the father of Xia Nan cattle.

In August 2019 he received the national Most Beautiful Science and Technology Worker award.

Why did China need a new beef breed?

Nanyang yellow cattle were used mainly for draft work. After graduating in 1982, Qi returned to Biyang County and took a technical post at the county animal husbandry and veterinary station, turning down teaching and city administrative jobs. He had herded cattle as a child and studied a cattle-related major.

Using local breeds as a base for improvement has a long history elsewhere. In England, Charles Colling began improving the cattle of the Tees and Skerne valleys in the 1780s, as the Wikipedia biography of Charles Colling describes. Qi's project followed the same logic with a modern European beef breed.

From ton cattle to a national project, 1986 to 1988

In early 1986 Qi began trials to convert Nanyang yellow cattle into beef cattle by crossing local cows with French Charolais blood. Farmers resisted artificial insemination, so he recruited relatives and friends as demonstration households. The improved cattle were larger and produced more meat, and locals called them ton cattle.

By the end of 1987 Biyang had more than 7,000 improved beef cattle. In 1988 the Ministry of Agriculture designated Biyang as the project county for breeding a new beef breed by introducing Charolais blood into Nanyang cattle, and Qi became its lead.

The 1994 setback

In autumn 1994 other counties in the same program had failed and funding was cut. Farmers sold or slaughtered first- and second-generation calves. Experts revised the breeding target from 25 percent to 37.7 percent foreign blood, and the article credits that change for the program's later success.

Over the following years more than 10,000 new-type cattle were bred.

The Key to Qi's Success

Qi's story is a case study in long-term, farmer-level breeding work. The article is a state media account, so the details below are reported rather than independently audited.

The record shows persistence through a funding cut and a willingness to change the genetic target.

  • He worked inside the community: demonstration households of relatives and friends overcame resistance to artificial insemination.
  • He stayed with the job: a technical post in Biyang from 1982 and project lead from 1988.
  • He adjusted the plan: the foreign-blood target moved from 25 to 37.7 percent after 1994.
  • He kept animals in farmers' hands, with more than 10,000 new-type cattle bred.
  • He helped set standards: chief scientist for the Xia Nan Cattle National Standard, which supports breed identification and grading.
  • He supported production technology, leading a project on integrated technology for Xia Nan production.

Xia Nan cattle and their reach

In 2008 the Ministry of Agriculture named Xia Nan cattle the country's sole beef breed for national promotion. The article reports that more than 1 million live animals have gone to other parts of China and more than 8 million doses of frozen semen have been produced, and it estimates total impact at no less than 10 million head.

In 2018 Biyang had 364,000 Xia Nan cattle on hand and sold 220,000 for slaughter. The Xia Nan industry produced over 15 billion yuan in output, with an integrated chain from breeding to sales.

A comparison with Thailand

Crossbreeding native cattle with a foreign beef breed is a common development path in Asia. In Thailand, Sittipong Kritchpakorn first crossed Beefmaster genetics with Thai native cattle, with the first calf born on 9 December 2010, according to Beefmaster Breeders United's profile of Sittipong.

For readers following beef breeds across the world, the ranching section of farm.FM has more, along with a farm.FM story about Charolais crossbreeding.

Timeline

  1. 1982Graduates and joins the Biyang County animal husbandry and veterinary station
  2. 1986Begins trials crossing Nanyang yellow cattle with Charolais
  3. 1987Biyang has more than 7,000 improved beef cattle by year end
  4. 1988Ministry of Agriculture names Biyang the project county; Qi becomes lead
  5. 1994Funding cut; foreign-blood target revised to 37.7 percent
  6. 2008Xia Nan named the sole beef breed for national promotion
  7. 2019Receives the national Most Beautiful Science and Technology Worker award

Frequently asked questions

Who is Qi Xinglei?

Qi Xinglei is a Biyang County, Henan, livestock technician who led the project that produced Xia Nan cattle, regarded in China as its first independently developed beef breed.

What are Xia Nan cattle?

Xia Nan cattle came from crossing Nanyang yellow cattle with French Charolais. The Ministry of Agriculture named them the sole beef breed for national promotion in 2008.

When did the Xia Nan project start?

Qi began trials in 1986. In 1988 the Ministry of Agriculture designated Biyang County as the project county for breeding the new beef breed.

What award did Qi Xinglei receive?

In August 2019 he received China's national Most Beautiful Science and Technology Worker award, according to a Guangming Daily account.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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